If you paid attention to any rumors / recent technology, you'd know that using i-series processors means having to use Intel chipsets, which means integrated gpu's (the 9400M and 320M are Nvidia). Intel integrated graphics (known as Intel HD graphics) suck and are worse than the 9400M's. So Apple decided to trade older processors for better graphics instead of better processors and crappier graphics.

I wonder how much the 2.13Ghz upgrade is gonna cost. Hopefully not $200 like before. Since the processors are older I hope Steve will give us a discount.

I kind of see your point. Let's hope this is something forthcoming. Now, the only thing deterring me from getting this MBA is the lack of 3G. I really wanted to get the iPad, but after testing it, i really missed the physical keyboard. This MBA is exactly what i'm looking for. However, the lack of 3G seems a bit overlooked. Let's hope for a solution on this, other than a surcharge for 3G tethering from ATT

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctwise

iOS and OS/X aren't compatible (yet). So iOS apps won't run on OS/X. And they expose a touch interface, not a mouse interface. While it should be technically possible to accomplish by the time Lion comes out (you can run iOS apps in the development simulator after all), I don't see how it will work well.

2GB, where are you getting that? That was the other problem with the current Air.

I originally thought that would be the case.

But after thinking about it, the biggest problem with low RAM is swapping with the HD. This, however, does not have a HD, but more SSD (which is a lot faster) so hopefully, it shouldn't be much slower at all.

This is a very tempting work computer for me, but some questions are unanswered.

What will the SSD performance over time be like? Most non-Sandforce implementations lose their oomph due to the lack of over-provisioning and other issues.

Is this an SDXC slot?

Does the flash device sit on a daughtercard or is it on the main board?

Will it overheat?

Will Lion see more efficiencies with memory and storage use like Snow Leopard, or will the SSD capacity and RAM limitation prove to be a significant problem?

Interesting to see that Intel and Nvidia are still in their hissy fit with one another over pairing chips with integrated graphics -- so once again, the price of getting discrete graphics is a Core2Duo. Can't someone sue Intel for antitrust violations over this?

Pretty excited here. Everything I wanted apart from the glass cover screen; I've said to myself I'm not going to get another laptop with a dust-magnet screen rim, but as I said, EVERYTHING else I wanted, I might have to make an exception.

So just to warn you all, I think I'll be going for an 11.6" one of some description. Given my history this is something the rest of you may want to avoid.

I'd link to MacRumours but can't get past their dead live page right now. Suffice it to say: iBook 800MHz - logic board died 3x; PB 12" - logic board died 2x; MBP 15" 2008 - logic board has already died once and is yet again in the known faulty lot. So I can be fairly sure the 11.6" Air is going to have a faulty GPU, and with the storage on the logic board as well, I'm in for a hell of a ride .

Who uses optical drives? I haven't popped a disc in in years. App Store for downloads. iTunes for movies. They are providing an ecosystem for "most" of us. It just isn't right for you.

I do use optical all the time. For example I bought the family pack bundle OS iLife, iWork,. I often burn CD's as well. But everything is transitioning to USB memory stick and SD cards so now you have to switch over if you want the portability of the Air, which is very tempting for me since my MBP is a few years old now. That is the problem with these damn Macs. They last too long. Difficult to justify replacing one when the old one is still working so well.

Who cares about processors. This thing is the "Sex" and it's "elegant" and "oh so thin". I, like all Apple Fans, can't wait to shell $1000 for this "delicious" laptop with it's Sexy 11.6" screen and 2 WHOLE GIGS of RAM!!!!

Woooo Hoooo This changes everything!!!! Go Steve!!!

Yeah, well, what's wrong with sexiness and elegance? Do you have a problem with sex, go on, tell us, everyone has had some sort of problem with sex in their lives. Maybe if you speak about it you can start buying powerful and beautiful laptops instead of garbage, and you might solve your sex problem too.

Though apparently you can only get the processor upgrade on the $1599 model, which means you need to pay at least $1699 for the 2.13Ghz processor, which kind of stinks. I don't want the extra SSD drive space, just the extra speed.

I think it's pretty clear that they do indeed intend this class of machines to be the future of the MacBook.

Within a few iterations these machines are going to be able to perform on par with the current MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Some folks will still squawk that that will be "underpowered", but the fact is CPU grunt is now well ahead of 99% of computing tasks and is widening the lead. They're just not making demanding software fast enough to keep up.

So a super light machine with instant on, great battery life and no moving parts is clearly the future, and Apple looks to be intent on ushering it in sooner rather than later.

They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.

... using i-series processors means having to use Intel chipsets, which means integrated gpu's.

the use of the integrated GPU is optional. i'm typing this post on a notebook equipped with a Core i5 and nVidia 310M.

given the form factor of the latest MacBook Air, i suspect Apple is using the Intel Core 2 Duo L7300 in the low-end model. the Intel Core i3 330UM would be the L7300's closest successor. price is likely a factor why Apple chose the L7300 over the 330UM for the low-end MBA.

The new Air is essentially the same weight as the old one. I guess they replaced all the weight of the HD with more battery. I must say that all-day run time is really cool, but I'm not sure that making the new air slower than the old one is quite what prospective buyers had in mind.

A device with only 64GB of storage is clearly intended to be a secondary computer.

I've just done the get info thing on my MBP to see how much space is occupied by essential things. It's a staggering total, almost 35GB.

/Library occupies 14.2GB
/System just over 5.1GB
/private comes in at 5.4GB
/Applications at 8.3GB
/usr takes up 1.8GB

This is probably the lamest thing I ve said but I am finally going to retire my pbook 12 and (that's the lame bit)...

I think I m in love with this new air.

How long till the UK store shows these products as available.

Wow! I can't believe you still use the 12.1" aluminum powerbook! Thats freakin awesome! That was far and away my favorite mac, but I replaced it with a white 2006 macbook. So I thought I was strange using a 4 year old computer, but you are still all the way back to the PB12! This makes me happy.

If you paid attention to any rumors / recent technology, you'd know that using i-series processors means having to use Intel chipsets, which means integrated gpu's (the 9400M and 320M are Nvidia). Intel integrated graphics (known as Intel HD graphics) suck and are worse than the 9400M's. So Apple decided to trade older processors for better graphics instead of better processors and crappier graphics.

I wonder how much the 2.13Ghz upgrade is gonna cost. Hopefully not $200 like before. Since the processors are older I hope Steve will give us a discount.

Not to be left out, OpenCL will off-load more and more clock cycles to the GPU.

No I am not. The processor price decreases over time. They were much newer when they first came in the MBA's, and so cost more. Now they are cheaper, so the BTO option should be cheaper.

Thank you.

Though apparently you can only get the processor upgrade on the $1599 model, which means you need to pay at least $1699 for the 2.13Ghz processor, which kind of stinks. I don't want the extra SSD drive space, just the extra speed.

The Convection of the i3 and i5 series, not to mention the sheer geometry and heat dissipation units alone make it DOA.

No I am not. The processor price decreases over time. They were much newer when they first came in the MBA's, and so cost more. Now they are cheaper, so the BTO option should be cheaper.

Thank you.

Though apparently you can only get the processor upgrade on the $1599 model, which means you need to pay at least $1699 for the 2.13Ghz processor, which kind of stinks. I don't want the extra SSD drive space, just the extra speed.

I know, CPU speed upgrade only on the larger "disk" capacity models. I just need speed and RAM, not so much $300 extra for 128GB of flash.

So I don't really have a need for one of these but I REALLY want that 11" model. Very cool indeed! However I'm curious if it's supposed to be a cross between a MBP and an iPad, why not throw in some 3G?

I think it's pretty clear that they do indeed intend this class of machines to be the future of the MacBook.

Within a few iterations these machines are going to be able to perform on par with the current MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Some folks will still squawk that that will be "underpowered", but the fact is CPU grunt is now well ahead of 99% of computing tasks and is widening the lead. They're just not making demanding software fast enough to keep up.

So a super light machine with instant on, great battery life and no moving parts is clearly the future, and Apple looks to be intent on ushering it in sooner rather than later.

Today is "No Moving Parts", tomorrow is "Liquid Metal"... Can you connect the dots?

I've accomplished my childhood's dream: My job consists mainly of playing with toys all day long.

The Convection of the i3 and i5 series, not to mention the sheer geometry and heat dissipation units alone make it DOA.

the Core i3 330UM and i5 560UM run quite cool when compared against the Core 2 Duo L7000 series. as i mentioned before, Apple probably went for the Core 2 Duo over the ultra low voltage Core i3 / i5 for several reasons, including price.

Its really not Instant on. only if you have it in standby mode (like allot of other laptops). From apples web site:

Flash allows you to access data quickly, and it gives MacBook Air the astonishing ability to remain in standby mode for up to 30 days.1 Which means your MacBook Air snaps to in an instant, whether you open it tomorrow, next week, or next month.

So if you have the Mac Air off, it still needs to boot up, i wonder how long it takes.

This is the first step in getting rid of the ODD from all notebooks. They were very specific about Flash technology today but the sentiment about large, slow, components with complex moving parts was clear.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

No one has commented on the 16:9 aspect ratio of the 11.6 MBA or the fact that these now use a special SD card for the Restore Disc?

edit: Ah, I see Addabox noticed it.

I don't know that much about new SD cards specifically the XC version. I would be interested to learn if one can essentially use it as another volume to store data such as video clips while editing in iMovie for example. If so, that could well solve any shortcomings in the Flash memory capacities since the SDXC is available in up to 2TB.

exactly the problem. nothing exciting or mind blowing. it should be 'who would have thought of that? amazing!' not 'thats what i wanted'

wish Woz would come back and team up with Jobs. do some real kid style playing with ideas and see what comes up. let them both be on stage. woz gets so excited about gadgets when he talks its infectious. jobs looks and sounds bored and tired.

To answer a couple of questions, sum up some of the things that have been answered in the thread and provide info on which processors these appear to be, I put this together.

11"

Penryn 3M ULV 45nm 3MB cache
1.4GHz SU9400
1.6GHz SU9600

13"

Penryn 45nm 6MB cache
1.86GHz SL9400
2.13GHz SL9600

RAM on all models is upgradeable to 4GB. 13" has SD slot, 1.6 does not. Processor and RAM upgrades are $100 each. $200 separates each version of the 11 and 13" models for jumping storage space up. So low end 11" is $999, top end 13" w/2.13GHz and 4GB RAM is $1799. Top end model of each screensize only models that allow processor upgrade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emack

Why the ancient processors? Where's the i3 through i7's???????????

When Intel actually codes their GPUs to support Open CL and makes them not completely awful (or allows Intel to produce chipsets for the i-series) then we'll see better processors in the smaller Apple notebooks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emacs72

the Core i3 330UM and i5 560UM run quite cool when compared against the Core 2 Duo L7000 series. as i mentioned before, Apple probably went for the Core 2 Duo over the ultra low voltage Core i3 / i5 for several reasons, including price.

You're correct, but these are much newer parts than the L7000 series, which were 65nm.